Gusher for oil-wells



(Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. L. CROWLEY. GUSHER FOR OIL WELLS.

Patented Oct. 25, 188.1.

No. 12.118,63?.l

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THOMAS L. OROWTLEY, OF KENDALL CREEK, PENNSYLVANIA.

GUSHER FOR OIL-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,637, dated October25, 1881.

Application tiled February 19, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. CROWLEY, of Kendall Greek, in the countyof McKean and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gushers for Oil-Wells; and I do hereby declare that thefollowiu g is a full, clear, and exact description oftheinventiomwhichwill enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecication.

Figure I is a vertical section of my gusher applied as I propose to useit in wells having a limited gas-pressure. Fig. 2 is a vertical section,on an enlarged scale, of the gusher separately. Fig. 3 is a transversesection on line cca: of Fig. 2. Fig. et is a transverse section on liney y ot' Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse sect-ion on line z .a of Fig. 2.Fig. 6 is a separate view ofthe spring B. Fig. 7 is a side view, partlyin vertical section, of the reel with its pulley and rotary stand. Fig.8 is a top view of the clamp. Fig. 9 isa vertical section of the jarsand unlatching-tube. Fig. 10 is a transverse section on line a a of Fig.9. Fig. 11 is a transverse section on line c o of Fig. 9.

The same part is indicated by the same letter wherever it occurs in thedra-win gs.

The object of my invention is to increase the productiveness and improvethe method of Working oil-wells by the employment ot' a new device forthe economical application of the expansive force of conned andcompressed gas or air to the complete and rapid emptying of the welldown to any desired point at stated intervals, thus intermittently andentirely relieving the surface of the oil-bearing rock from the pressureof superincumbent fluids, keeping its pores and crevices open and freefrom parafne and in the best condition for yielding oil to its fullcapacity.

The nature of my invention consists in connecting with a reservoir ofgas in the lower part of an cil-Well an automatic shut-off apparatus,which I call a gusher7 which at a predetermined pressure opens andcloses tho tubing, storing and holding in the gas until it acquires bycompression the needed elastic force, and then applyingthat force to theejection of the entire fluid contents of the well down to a determinedpoint.

It consists, further, in a device `forsupplementingthenaturalgas-pressurein wells where such pressure is weakor insufficient by the injection into a suitable reservoir in the wellof compressed air, and its applicatiomin conjunction with thegas-pressure, and in the same manner, to the ejection of the fluidcontents of 6o the well, all as hereinafter more specifically set forth.

The specified mode of applying and using the devices herein describedconstitutes a new system or process of working owing oil-wells whichlargely enhances and prolongs their productiveness.

My process is founded on fthe fact, which I have discovered,that oneofthe principal causes of falling off in the productiveness of oil-wellsis the clogging of the pores of the oil-bearing rock by accumulations ofparaftine, and that this clogging is mainly owing to the fact that aheavy column of oil is usually standing in contact with the face of theoil-rock and prc 75 vents that free discharge of oil from its poresvwhich would keep them open and clear of parafline. I have found thatparafne is most readily deposited where the movement ot' the oil issluggish, and that a sudden relief ofthe oil-rock from exterior pressureinduces a strong and rapid discharge of oil from its pores, which washesthem clear of paraftine and leaves them open for the free flow of gasand oil.into the well under the influence of the reserve-pressure of gasin the rock.

In the drawings, T T' T2 T3 mark the ordinary tubing of a well coupledand strung in the usual manner. P is an air and tluid tight packinginserted around the tubing at apoint in the lower part of the well, anydesired distance above the shuto valve-scat D. I gen erally place itabout a hundred feet above the oil-bearing rock. This packer forms thetop of the gas-reservoir, and its location must, in some degree, dependupon the quantity of gasthe well supplies relatively to the quantity ofoil, the greater the supply of gas the larger the reservoir required tostore and condense it. The size of the tubing would also affect .roo thelocation of the packer, the largest reser voir being required where thelargest tubing is used; but, under all conditions, I place the packingP, forming the top of the reservoir, near the lower part of the well.The breakin the tubing (shown in the drawings at the upper end ofFig. 1) indicates the point at which the necessary additional tubingwould be inserted to give the packer its proper location relatively tothe shut-ofil valve-seat D.

Just below packer P is coupled the casing C of the airreservoir used infeeble wells. In wells with a large supply of' gas and stronggas-pressure this casing, extendingfrom P to T3 in Fig. l, is dispensedwith, together with valve V, and the tubing T3 coupled directly to thelower end of the shut-off or gusher, below the holes p p.

The gusheibarrel G is coupled at top to the lower end of tubing T, Fig.l. This barrel is shown in enlarged view in Fig. 2. At its top arehinged a pair of spring-latches, L L, which are forced inward by thesprings s s, and embrace the upper end of -the spiral spring B. Thebarrel G is provided with ribs or guides r fr, projecting radiallyinward from its inner surface, as clearly shown in. Figs. 3, 4, and 5.The bore of the barrel is narrowed to form the neck N, which makes theribs r shallow, as seen in Fig. 5. Below the neck the bore of' thebarrel enlarges to the same size as above,

'and its cross-section is the same as at lineg/y.

(Shown by Fig. 4.) Near the top of the barrel two of the ribs are cutaway to give play to the latches L, as shown in Fig. 3, where thelatches and their sprin gs are shown in crosssection. The inner facesof' the ribs form to gether a cylindrical guide for the movements of theplug P, its upper disk, d, and the spring B. The plug P is made of wood,preferably of green hard maple thoroughly soaked in melted tallow,and isattached by screw, nuts, and washers, to a rod, R, having a disk, d,perforated with holes i z', screwed onto its upper end. 0n the bottom ofthe plug is a soft washer, W, held by a nut on the end ot' the screw.

D is aconical valve-seat for the reception of the plug P. In the lowerpart of this seat are the holes IL h for the admission of' uids to thegusher. Other holes, e e, for the same purpose, are placed at a distancebelow in the tubing T3. No opening for the entrance of tiuid to thegusher or tubing is made between the holes h h and the packer P', adistance of', say, one hundred feet, and the space in the well aroundthe tubiugbetween those points forms an annular chamber or reservoir, inwhich gas may collect and become compressed by accumulation, ready forthe exertion of its expansive power to expel the fluids from the well.

In the lower end of the well is inserted a sand-cylinder, S, nearly ofthe full diameterof the well, coupled to or near the lower end ot' thestring of' tubing. Between this and the valve-seat D which is the pointwhere the gas is shut ofi', as hereinafter explained) isinserted anordinary check-valve, V, opening upward,

to allow of the upward flow of' uids, but not of their descent. Thecommon anchor or tubing is coupled onto the lower end ofthe sandcylinderby bushing, and should be perforated sufficiently to allow that portionof the oil which enters the well from the rock during the flow, andwhich is mingled with sand, to enter, that the sand may be separatedfrom it by the slowness of its ascent through the sand-cylinder, ashereinafter further explained.

Such being the construction of the gusher, its operation is as follows:The pressure necessary to throw a given amount of fluid from the wellhaving been determined in advance by calculation or experiment, the plugP is weighted to the proper amount and inserted in its conical seat D.The spring B is placed above it, resting on the perforated disk d. Thisspring, which is horizontal on top, as shown in Fig. 6, is grasped andheld in place by thespring-latches L L. Thus prepared, the gusher-barrelG is attached to the string of tubing in such a position thatitwillrest, when in place, at or near the upper margin of the oil-bearingrock. The packer P is firmly inserted in the well, aroundthetubing,atapoint usually about one hundred feet above the shutoilpoint D. The well is now prepared for operation. The gas flowing intoit, with the oil from the oil-bearing rock, rises to the top of thereservoir formed in the well below the packer P', and around the tubing,as before described, and becomes compressed, by accumulation, till itexerts upon the fluids below it an elastic force sufficient to overcomethe load of' the plug P and its friction in the seat D. The uidsentering through holes h hand e e drive the plug P with great force outot' its conical seat and rush up the tubing, propelled by the gas, anddischarge themselves at the top of the well. The plug P, when thusdriven up, cushions, by its disk d, upon the bottom of spring B, and issupported bythe upward rush of' the fluids and gas in the uppermostposition, till the elastic force of the gas has fully expended itself,and a portion of the gas has followed the iuids up the tubing andescaped. While the plug is in the upper part of the barrel G, above theneck N, there is ample space around it between the guides r for the freeupward passage ot' the fluids and gas, as seen in Fig. 4. When theexpansive force is relieved the plug P descends, passes slowly throughthe neck N, and then suddenly falls and fixes itself iu the conical seatD with a force due to the load it carries and to the momentum acquiredby the height of' fall. The well is thus again sealed, ready for arepetition of the operation, which will recur as often as theaccumulated gas attains a tension equal to the expulsion of the plug Pfrom its seat.

It will be apparent that after the gush has taken place and the pressurebeen relieved, as soon as the tension of the gas falls below what isnecessary to support the plug the plug will immediately resume its seatand prevent the roo escape of any more gas than is 'necessary tovrelieve the highest required tension. The gas thus shut in at-itsinitial tension will remain in the reservoir, ready to act again when asufficient quantity of new gas has been added t it to raise it to thetension necessary to eject the plug.

It will be observed that at the neck N the bore of barrel Gr isconsiderably diminished, (see Fig. 5,) so as to allow but a small spacefor the up ard passage of gas when the plug P is passing through thispart of the barrel; hence, from the contraction ofthe current, its

-strength will be sufcient to cause the plug to descend quite slowlythrough the neck while the last expansive force of the gas is expendingitself. Vhen the plug has passed the neck it will fall freely, as thegas will have ainple passage-way around it, and the disk d, beingperforated, will offer little or no obstruction to its descent. Theupward rush of the oil through the gusher will induce a current of waterand oil to rise in the sand-cylinder S and pass the check-valve V, andbe carried out in front ofthe gas during the gush. The sand that may bein the water or oil will settle to the bottom of the sand cylinder,owing to the smallness of the tubing as compared with the cylinder,causing' a retardation ofthe iiow of water or oil sufficient to allow ofthe subsidence ot' the sand, the tendency ofthe current to hold it insuspension not being equal to the force of gravity, which causes it tosettle in the bottom of the cylinder and fall back into the well afterthe tlow or gush has ceased.

As before intimated, when the pressure and iiow of gas are insufficientto operate the well in the manner hereinbefore set forth, I surround thegusher with a casing, C C, extending from the packer P to and below theseat D, as shown in Fig. l. lnto this chamber air or gas is pumped, byany ordinary and suitable condensing air-pump, A P, from the top of thewell through a pipe, P3, leading to the top of the chamber until thetension is reached which is necessary to expel the plug and clear thewell inthe same manner as before described. The casin g, however,is notindispensable, as the air or gas may be pumped in the same mannerdirectly into the reservoir formed by the walls of the well, through apipe inserted in the packer.

To aid in holding up the plug, should the weakness ofthe flow of gasrender it necessary, I sometimes use a weak tlat spring, g, attached onthe inside ot' the gusher-barrel, as shown in Fig. 2. The force of thisspring is to be so adjusted that it will release the plug when thetension of the gas in the gusher has reached the lowest point desired.

It may become necessary to withdraw the plug P for repairs or to alterits load to meet the changing condition of the gas-pressure in the well,or to increase occasionally the violence of the gush, in order to morethoroughly cleanse the pores of the oil-rock ot parafne by .the inrushof new gas through its pores and crevices. To accomplish this I use theapparatus represented in Figs. 7, 8, 9, l0, and 11 of the drawings.

The bushing E (see Fig. 7) rests ou and is attached to the T ofthe wellat the top of the tubing. From it projects upward the pipe H, which issurrounded by the sleeve F, which turns upon it, but can be fixed at anydesired point by the set-screwf.

To the sleeve F is clamped, by screw-bolt and nut J, the arm I, to whichis attached a reel, K, turned by a winch or crank.

To the upper end of sleeve F is attached a bracket, which supports thejournals of a grooved pulley, M, over which passes wire w from reel K.This wire is attached (see Fig.

9) to the lop ot' the upper-our, Q, of a pair ot jars. 'lhe upper jar isa long cylinder, perforated at top and bottom to facilitate its movementin the nids ofthe well. The lower and inner jar, U, is a square barprovided at top with a circular head, a, and carrying at bottom a tappedbox, X, and the latch-opening tube or eylinderY. The section Fig. ll online o c shows how the square bar U is held in the mouth ot' thejar Q soas not to turn.

When it is desired to withdrawthe plug from the well, the jars, Fig.9,.are let down into the well by the reel. The unlatching-tube passesbetween the latches L L and forces them apart, releasing them from thespring B. The box X comes down upon the top of the screw on the upperend of rod It, and is screwed upon it by rotating the sleeve F aroundpipe H. .The Vwire tu isthen wound up on the reel, and the IOO pluggandspring are drawn out at the top of l the well. To replace the plug andspring in the well, remove cylinder Y, attach boxX to top of rod lt, andlower into the well until the plug reaches its original position. Thebox is then detached by unscrewing by means ot' the rotating sleeve ofthe reel and the wire drawn up.

To prevent the box X from binding on the screw or rod R, I provide bothscrew and tap with an offset or stop, and these, when a sut"- ticientunion is made, abut together and prevent further rotation.

To clearly distinguish my invention from what has been done before, Iwish to have it understood that I do not claim the shutting in orliberating of the gas-pressure at the top or outside of the well; nor doI claim the shutting in of the gas-pressure at or near the bottom of thewell by means of a high column of liquid; nor do I claim the permanentshutting in of the gas-pressure outside of the tubing, as is now done bythe common packers; nor, iinally, do I claim the ejection of liquidsfrom the well by the natural pulsation ofthe gas.

Having now fully described my invention and the principles otl itsoperation, whatI claim` as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. A gusher or shut-off device for an oil-well, consisting ofthe barrelG, provided with ribs IIO fr and neck N, conical seat D, plug P, rod It,spring B, and spring-latches L L, all constructed, arranged, andoperating as specified.

` 2. The combination, with the tubing in an oil-well, ol' the commonpacker P', shutting oi' the passage between the wall of the well and thetubing, and a gusher, all constructed, arranged, and operating as setforth.

3. The revolving reeling device, consistingof the bushing E, tube H,sleeve F, clamp-arm I, reel K, and pulley M, all constructed, arranged,and operating as specified.

4. rlhe double jar Q U, constructed as described, provided with thethreaded boXX and unlatching-tube Y, all as and for the purpose stated.

5. The combination ofthe plug P, rod R, disk d, spring B, and latches LL, in the manner and for thc purpose described.

6. Tile described apparatus for working a. sluggish well having a scantyflow of gas, in which compressed air or gas is used to supplement thenatural gas-pressure ofthe well, the same consisting ofthe casing orreservoir C U, attached below the packer P aud surrounding the gusher,and provided with a check-valve, V, in combination with a suitableair-pump and pipe for the supply of air or gas from without the well, asset forth.

7. The sand-cylinder S, constructed as described, and located near thebottom ofthe welltubing and connected to it, as shown, and operating inthe manner and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination ofthe barrel G, plugl), fiat spring g, and spiralspring B, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

9. The described method of increasing and maintaining the productivenessof sluggish wells having a scanty ow of gas, the same consisting, irst,in shutting in and storing the products between gushes near the bottomof the well, and, second, in forcing air and gas taken from outside thewell upon the liquids in the well, so that the pressure will open theconfining device and eject the accumulated head of oil in a sudden andpowerful gush, all in manner and by the means substantially as setforth.

l0. An automatic gusher located in and near the bottom of an oil-well toshut in and store the products between gushes outside the tubing, incombination with tubing provided with induction-openin gs below thegusher, a packer located above the gusher, shutting the passage outsidethe tubing, and tubing connecting the packer with the gusher, all as andfor the purpose described.

1l. A gusher or shut-off device located in the lower part of the well toshut in the products between gushes, a packer between the tubing and thewall of the well, tubing providedwith one fluid-entrance at bottom ofthegusher and one several feet below, and means, substantially asdescribed, for artificially forcing air and gas into the well, allcombined and arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I atix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

THOS. L. CROWLEY.

Witnesses:

H. B. MUNN, GHAs. F. STANsBURY.

